Bracket Unveiled for 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve

NEW ORLEANS – Seedings and matchups for the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve were announced Friday evening following the conclusion of the regular season.

The 2026 tournament will take place March 3-9 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., with all 14 Sun Belt institutions competing in the single-elimination tournament.

 

Troy (20-11, 12-6 SBC) claimed the regular season championship outright and the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament on the final night to make it back-to-back titles after sharing last year’s crown as a co-champion in a four-way tie. The Trojans went on to win the 2025 tournament for the first time since 2017.

 

Six teams tied for second place with 11-7 records in Sun Belt play, including Marshall, Coastal Carolina, App State, Texas State, South Alabama and Arkansas State.

Following changes to the tournament’s format prior to the 2024-25 campaign, No. 1 seed Troy and No. 2 seed Marshall receive byes to the tournament semifinals on Sunday, March 8, while No. 3 seed Coastal Carolina and No. 4 seed App State will maintain byes to the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 7.

 

First round games begin Tuesday, March 3 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with the championship game televised by ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT on Monday, March 9.

Tickets to the 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve are still available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. 

For more information, visit the tournament central page.

2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Presented By Air Force Reserve

Tuesday, March 3

Game 1 – (12) Louisiana vs. (13) Georgia State – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 2 – (11) Old Dominion vs. (14) ULM – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

 

Wednesday, March 4

Game 3 – (9) James Madison vs. Winner Game 1 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 4 – (10) Georgia Southern vs. Winner Game 2 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

 

Thursday, March 5

Game 5 – (8) Southern Miss vs. Winner Game 3 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 6 – (7) Arkansas State vs. Winner Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Friday, March 6

Game 7 – (5) Texas State vs. Winner Game 5 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 8 – (6) South Alabama vs. Winner Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Saturday, March 7

Game 9 – (4) App State vs. Winner Game 7 – 5:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 10 – (3) Coastal Carolina vs. Winner Game 8 – 8 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Sunday, March 8

Game 11 – (1) Troy vs. Winner Game 9 – 5 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Game 12 – (2) Marshall vs. Winner Game 10 – 7:30 p.m. CT [ESPN+]

Monday, March 9 (Championship)

Game 13 – Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 – 6 p.m. CT [ESPN2]